Palau

[Erwin Kodiat]

Dear all,
I am interested and plan to dive Palau sometimes in 2003. Already contacted several dive sites and got the feedback already. However, I want to get some opinions from some of you divers who have been diving there. Any suggestions on itirenary and best dive sites (priority) are welcomed.
Thanks in advance ...

Best fishes ...

 

[frogfish]

I haven't been there but some friends have; they suggested a liveaboard as landbased diving involves 1 hour boat rides and ends up being quite expensive... But Palau is an expensive destination! I would also love to go there

 

[diverkim]

Do the liveaboard thing. Don't dive with the Big Blue Explorer though. All the others are good.
Most famous spot is Blue Corner. Also do Mandarinfish Lake, Chandelier Caves, and some of the lagoon WW2 wrecks.
There is no real season there.

 

[donacheson]

erwin.kodiat once bubbled...
Dear all,
I am interested and plan to dive Palau sometimes in 2003. Already contacted several dive sites and got the feedback already. However, I want to get some opinions from some of you divers who have been diving there. Any suggestions on itirenary and best dive sites (priority) are welcomed.
Thanks in advance ...

Best fishes ...

Ditto diverkim on the liveaboard - IMHO, definitely the way to do Palau.

 

[Erwin Kodiat]

Thanks all, for the prompt response. I would like to know more about the dive sites itself. I read about Blue Corner, Big Holes, Chandelier Cave and German Channel. How if compared with another premiere sites let say Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Phillipine, PNG? I guess in terms of marine life would be not much different, however the visibility and accessibility would be my consideration. Let say I don't want to use liveaboard, is it possible to dive 2 times a day with ordinary boat?
Again, thanks

Regards

 

[seamonster]

What's wrong with the Big Blue Explorer?

 

[luvdiving]

I was wondering what's wrong with them myself. My Wife, a friend of ours and I dove from the BBE earlier this year. We had a fantastic time at about half the cost of the other liveaboards.

No seasickness, great food, fantastic diving and a wonderful staff. They had two 30 boats to frerry you to the dive sites. I don't know how it could have been better.

Diverkim: have you been on the BBE or were you listening to their competition?:boom:

 

[RSdiver]

Most of the big name places in Palau operate out of Koror which is an hour+ to the better dive sites around Peleliu Island (Blue Corner, Blue Hole, German Channel, etc..). Similarly, the expensive liveaboards also visit these but move in close to the islands at night.

If you can give up 5 star resorts and don't mind good quality Island living try the STORYBOARD BEACH RESORT and PELELIU DIVERS

Check out the Dive Site map and you'll see that the 15 major dive sites that Agressor, Fish 'n Fins etc. go to are within minutes of Peleliu Island.

 

[jiveturkey]

I'm thinking of going to Palau this year too. Do you know how much those bunglaows cost RSdiver? I'm still flirting with the idea of going. I think I can swallow the flight cost but I'm not sure I can afford the resorts. I'm used to backpacker accomodations but I didn't think there was any avaiable in Palau. Maybe I can actually afford this.

 

[AquaTec]

I was in Palau last April
I was on the Big Blue Explorer and would have to rate it at five star or better.

They were very accomodating....change that to extremely accomodating.....there were 18 of us from vancouver all dive buddies and they gave us the run of the ship....and because of our extensive expreience as a group they let us set our own dive profiles, even though they picked the sites of course.

I now measure all liveaboards by the Big Blue Explorer.

as for dive sites, blue corner is amazing. German channel is a waste of time unless you are the 1 in a 1000 who get to see some large ray or something...you basicly go there and sit on the bottom and wait for nothing to swim by.

blue corner there will be tons of stuff swimming by, and sharks galore....the walls are amazing...i have a picture of my bottom timer which shows at 105 feet the water temp is 91 degrees.

the helmet wreck is a waste of time, and chandalere cave is ok, if you have been cave diving anywere else then skip it, it is more for people who have never even been in a cave.

stick with any of the reefs...i can not compare it to the ares you spoke of, but i will say it blows away the Caymans, Cozumel, Hawaii, or anywere on the west coast of the US.

I would like to hear about the bad experience from the BBE from whoever posted that one